Human Design is a pseudoscientific [1] [2] new age practice, described as a holistic self-knowledge system. [3] It combines astrology, the Chinese I Ching, Judaic Kabbalah, Vedic philosophy and modern physics. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Human Design is a pseudoscientific [1] [2] new age practice, described as a holistic self-knowledge system. [3] It combines astrology, the Chinese I Ching, Judaic Kabbalah, Vedic philosophy and modern physics. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Human Design was originated by Alan Robert Krakower, who published a book called The Human Design System under the pseudonym Ra Uru Hu in 1992. [8] [9] Krakower was previously an advertising executive and magazine publisher. [10] Krakower developed the Human Design system following an alleged mystical experience in 1987. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]
It purports to be a self-knowledge method which does not have any specific religious dogma or affiliation. [17] However, it has been described by theologian J. R. Hustwit as a "transreligious project" that is "breathtaking in scope" and synthesizes seven or more traditions. [18] It has also been described as a psychological counseling instrument [19] and "a comprehensive and personalized map of your unique energy and life blueprint, guiding you towards self-awareness, personal growth, and empowerment." [20] [21] It claims to facilitate "deep access to bodily, generational and inter-dimensional intelligence." [22]
Human Design centers around the division of human beings into four "energy types," a term which attempts to describe categorial distinctions of the aura. The four types are: Manifestors, Generators, Projectors, and Reflectors. The hybrid Manifesting Generator is sometimes designated a fifth energy type. [23] Each type has its corresponding "strategy," a mode of behavior that is natural to the functioning of that aura. Human Design focuses specifically on these aura dynamics, using this information to prescribe "self" and "not self" themes that are intended to be evaluative of subjective well-being. [24]
Human Design also maps nine energy centers in the body. An individual's bodygraph reveals which of these centers are "defined", meaning that they are consistent and reliable in their functioning.
In Human Design analysis, planets are displayed in a type of horoscope called a bodygraph. The bodygraph shows the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching at various locations on the body. It is sometimes shown within a mandala, overlaid on the 12 signs of the zodiac.[ citation needed ]